The present invention relates to communications systems imploring code division multiple access (CDMA) techniques. More particularly, the present invention relates to a transmission diversity scheme which can be applied to a CDMA communication system.
Spacial diversity has been proposed for support of very high data rate users within third generation wide band code division multiple access systems such as CDMA. Using multiple antennas, the systems achieve better gains and link quality, which results in increased system capacity. Classically, diversity has been exploited through the use of either beam steering or through diversity combining.
More recently, it has been realized that coordinated use of diversity can be achieved through the use of space-time codes. Such systems can theoretically increase capacity by up to a factor equaling the number of transmit and receive antennas in the array. Space-time block codes operate on a block of input symbols producing a matrix output over antennas and time.
In the past, space-time transmit diversity systems have transmitted consecutive symbols simultaneously with their complex conjugates. This type of system, though may result in symbol overlap at the receiving end, with the amount of overlap being dependent on the length of the impulse response of the propagation channel. In time division duplex (TDD) mode, this symbol overlap will have to be accounted for in the joint detection receiver. The joint detector will have to estimate the transmitted symbols and their conjugates, resulting in an increase in complexity of the joint detection.
In order to alleviate this increase in joint detection, systems have been created which transmit two similar but different data fields. The first data field, having a first portion, D1, and a second portion, D2, is transmitted by the first antenna. A second data field is produced by modifying the first data field. The negation of the conjugate of D2, −D2*, is the first portion of the second data field and the conjugate of D1, D1*, is the second portion. The second data field is simultaneously transmitted by the second antenna. This type of system results in the joint detection implemented at the receiver needing only to estimate the same amount of symbols as in the case of a single transmit antenna. A block diagram of this system is illustrated in FIG. 1.
Although the above system reduces the complexity of joint detection for a single data block, joint detection requires the use of two joint detectors at the receiver in a system employing two transmit diversity antennas. Each joint detection device estimates the data from one of the antennas. The estimated data is combined to produce the original data. Therefore, the receiver in such a system has a high complexity resulting in higher receiver expense.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a transmit diversity system requiring less complexity and receiver expense.